Ao Sora
by Sariyuki
Summary: Shounen-ai. 38. Sanzo's POV about a recent incident...


Title: Ao Sora  
Author: Sariyuki  
Date: 9 June 2004  
Disclaimer: Gensomaden Saiyuki/RELOAD belongs to Minekura Kazuya-sama whom I worship on daily basis.  
Notes: Sanzo's POV. This can be considered as a sequel to The Rain Incident. Dedicated to ChaosDaughter. Many thanks to hakkai-san for helping me with this story ;)

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_Whom do I live for?_

He asked that. I gave him an answer but I'd forgotten what it was. All I could remember was that he was shivering and his eyes were pleading. For what, I did not know. I held him for comfort and now I wondered for whose comfort it actually was since was raining then.

And it was morning now, time to go on with the journey.

I positioned myself on the passenger seat as the others took their respective seats with grumbles and chatters as per normal. I fumbled for my cigarette pack as Hakkai started the engine. It was bound to be yet another long day.

"It's too bloody morning," the whine started.

"And I'm still hungry," added Goku, as if on cue.

And now, it was my cue. "Shut up!"

Hakkai chuckled as I knew he would. "We've only started but you guys are so enthusiastic already."

"The sun isn't up yet," another whine came from the kappa. "Why did we have to leave so bloody early?"

"Yeah," chirped in Goku, without missing any cue. "And we only had little breakfast!"

"Little?" I felt my temple throbbing. "You ate one big plate of breakfast AND my portion too!"

"But your portion was little," replied Goku a shade reproachfully.

"Ahahaha," cut Hakkai off whatever I was going to reply the monkey. I didn't even realise that my hand had got the fan at the ready. "At any rate, we will arrive in the next town in approximately four hours."

I settled down from wanting to whack those two in the back seats. There was a couple of dispirited sighs from behind. It was certainly going to be a long, long day.

And to make matter worse, Gojyo was right about the sun. One glance at the sky told me that the sun wasn't going to rise anytime soon. It wasn't that we started any earlier than usual. It was the weather that didn't agree with us. I frowned at the clouds that gathered in the grey coloured sky. I really could do without rain.

"Sanzo," he called out my name. I spared him a glance. "It looks like it's going to rain."

He liked to state the obvious, Hakkai did. It annoyed me sometimes and yet at other times it amused me as well. There was something about him that intrigued me, the way he projected strange and familiar at the same time. And the way he smiled. Who knew what he was actually thinking? What was the truth he hid behind his smiles? What was the truth behind the gaze of his eyes? The more I thought about it, the more I got lost in it.

I didn't know when I started to suspect that there was no truth at all. Perhaps what I saw was all that what I would get. He fascinated me in a way more than the others.

He fascinated me to the point of wanting to know more and more about him.

"We may need to find shelter if it rains," he continued his monologue.

I shrugged in response. He knew best, he always did. I suspected he asked me things only for appearance's sake as I was the leader of this helpless bunch. He was that kind of person, the kind of person people would describe as kind and considerate. People would think of him as the kind of person that would only serve as doormats. Oh yes, they would think that until they saw pass the smile and saw the smile didn't reach those pools of green eyes.

People learnt not to cross Hakkai over time. Even Goku who feared nothing but hunger learnt not to cross Hakkai. Fascinating, he was, the way he always seemed so close but out of reach, like the reflection of light in a darkened room.

Fascinating, Hakkai was, and the way I seemed to adapt to him easily.

Fascinating was the way he seemed to draw me closer and closer.

Like that night when it was raining. Why did I hold him then? Why did I even bother?

I saw him inspecting the grey sky and I saw his frown. No one liked to get caught in the rain. Even the annoying duo was moderately silent. I cursed the damn weather and whoever was responsible for it. Other people would pray for good weather but I found cursing was more of my style. Gods didn't help humans like humans wanted them to. When would people start to learn and realise that? The gods were too busy with themselves to ever notice mundane things like the weather.

Four hours to the next town, he said. I threw the last remnants of my cigarette. I just hoped I'd had enough supply to last me until we reached the town. Wouldn't want to smoke that stinky brand of cigarettes that the kappa had.

I frowned at the lack of bickering from behind my seat. It was amazing how people could adapt to things, even annoying things. Was it some kind of a survival trait?

I didn't know how far we'd driven when the first ray of sunlight went through. I looked up to see the sun peeking in between the clustered clouds. I knew cursing was much trustworthy than prayers.

"Yes! The sun is rising!" yelled Goku. "No rain! Yes!"

"Stop jumping up and down, you stupid monkey! You're giving me headache!"

"Hey," protested the monkey. "Who did you call monkey?!"

"Well, I don't see any other animal except the one beside me now."

"What?!"

"Shut up!" and this time I got to use my fan to whack the two idiots. There! And one more!

"Ouch!" "Ouch!"

I settled back down on my seat, somewhat satisfied and vaguely aware of the continuous grumbling at the background. Then I heard a light chuckle from my right.

"What's so funny?" I glared at him.

He gave me a smile. "Too quiet is not good either, eh, Sanzo?"

I didn't know how he always seemed to know what I was thinking. I gave him a scowl before I replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He glanced and our eyes met briefly and it seemed to me that they were teasing me. Then he turned his eyes back to the road ahead. "Never mind," he said with that infuriating smile still on his face.

I was going to give him a cutting remark when I heard him speak again.

"It looks like the sky is clearing up."

I looked up again.

Strange, I thought, how the grey was slowly but surely replaced by the light shades of blue. It was beautiful as if in paintings. I never knew that the sky was calming in so many ways. But then I remembered what my master taught me long ago about the blue sky and the orange paper plane. Why was the paper plane best flown under the clear sky? I felt like I had got glimpses of the answer in my hands.

In a way, Hakkai was like the sky, familiar yet unpredictable. Like the sky that had too many clouds, it was hard to tell what colour it had.

The chipper had started again. I ignored them for the time being. For some reasons, I recalled Goku once said that I was his sun. I didn't know what that meant and didn't know how to be a sun to anyone. But if I were the sun...

I stole another glance at the man sitting next to me.

If I were the sun, I'd only rise where he was the sky.

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End file.
